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FoldIt: A Protein Puzzle Game

In this video excerpt from NOVA scienceNOW, learn about Foldit, an online game in which players contribute to scientific research by solving puzzles. The objective of the game is to fold proteins into optimal 3D configurations. By identifying the structural configurations of proteins, scientists can make advances in the treatment of diseases and other problems. One of Foldit’s creators describes the challenge of creating a game that nonscientists could play and take an interest in without necessarily understanding the science of proteins. In 2011, Foldit players identified the structure of a protein that helps HIV reproduce. This was a major accomplishment and will help researchers develop treatments for HIV.

This video is available in both English and Spanish audio, along with corresponding closed captions.

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Here are some of the main ideas students should take away from this video:

Proteins are made of long chains of amino acids that are folded into stable structures. There are thousands of shapes of proteins; the structure of a protein specifies its function.

Proteins also play a role in all diseases, including HIV and cancer. If a protein is misfolded, understanding how and why can be the key to understanding the disease. This in turn can lead to new treatments or cures.

Scientists want to learn more about how proteins fold because insight into their structures can lead to better treatments for diseases. Although scientists know how to make long chains of amino acids, they are limited in their ability to predict the structure of proteins.

People are currently better than computers at solving visual puzzles. The online computer game Foldit harnesses the spatial reasoning skills of hundreds of thousands of people to fold proteins. By playing the game, players use their intuitive puzzle-solving abilities to help solve complex problems and contribute to scientific research.

One of the challenges of developing Foldit was to create a game that even nonscientists could play. The developers found a way to make the proteins similar to a toy—something that players could manipulate and intuitively fold into a stable structure without necessarily understanding the science behind it.

Foldit has been a success. Since its release in 2008, hundreds of thousands of players have used it and helped advance science. For example, in 2011, Foldit players helped identify the structure of a protein that helps HIV reproduce. It took them less than three weeks.

Here's additional information not featured in this video that can be shared with students:

Proteins are complex molecules that are essential to living things; they participate in all major processes within our cells, including the detection of light in our eyes and the sound in our ears, creating movement in our muscles, and transporting oxygen in our blood."